JUST GOT A CONTRACT FOR APPOINTMENT SETTING $75/APPOINTMENT WITH MANUFACTURING COMPANIES

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Just got a contract with a company that specializes in helping manufacturing companies realize tax incentives. They essentially go into a company and go through accounts payable and find a bunch of money companies are overpaying to the gov and get the money back.

It's been pretty complicated however to get the appointments, the company really has no requirements for me in setting the appointments except for me to set an appointment with the controller, accounting manager, or accounts payable manager and tell them the appointment is about local and state tax incentives.

I have no problem getting to the controller or accounting manager but they shoot it down quickly, saying they have no time, aren't interested etc. But the company I'm setting these for finds money for 9/10 companies and has an a+ rating with the BBB. What's the best way to talk to these kind of professionals?

If anyone with experience in appointment setting could help me out with ideas/scripts/etc that'd be awesome.

ANY THOUGHTS?
THANKS.
#$75 or appointment #appointment #companies #contract #manufacturing #setting
  • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
    Well, we know they have state and local taxes, but it's not a requirement that they save money on them, so you're selling point for the appointment would be that you know they are busy...etc. However I would ask them when is the last time they had an evaluation of what they are paying, and then offer to have your client call at said time and evaluate if they are getting the best cuts/incentives.

    What are your qualifying questions? You must have some to keep a client like this happy, or they will get appointments that do nothing and aren't ready for their services.
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    • Profile picture of the author digichik
      Without knowing more I can't offer specifics. Most companies that would use this type of service probably already have an accountant/tax professional, who they feel should be doing this for them already.

      Figure out what some of their pain points may be and include those in your script. Jason Kanigan has a post about this, just tweak it to fit the type of business you are making the calls for.

      You'll also have to be careful, to make sure, your pitch doesn't sound scammy Make your script and tone sound more Private Wealth Banking serious.

      Originally Posted by Mwind076 View Post

      However I would ask them when is the last time they had an evaluation of what they are paying, and then offer to have your client call at said time and evaluate if they are getting the best cuts/incentives.
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      • Profile picture of the author biz2mob
        They've been in business since the 80's and the only qualification is the set titles we get to agree on the appointment. They get 40% of what they find so they can make upwards of 100k on a client as they can go back 4 years on the taxes. I like what mwind said about when was the last time. That's a good question to ask. Most tell me they don't have time even though it's risk free etc. The company I'm working for just needs that foot in the door, they have experienced salesmen who handle the rest.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
    Going off what digichik said, you can ask them if they have an accountant or tax person that handles it for them that you should talk to. Most DM's will say "no, I handle that" or they will say yes we do, then you can ask for their information to contact them.
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    • Profile picture of the author iain1066
      The biggest thing to remember in sales is that your audience is only interested in WIIFM (what's in it for me). You may need to set an appointment with the the controller, accounting manager, or accounts payable manager, but they are not going to see any of the money saved. For them it's just extra work.

      Perhaps you should aim higher and speak to somebody more motivated to save the company money who will just tell the relevant manager "you need to meet with these guys".
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      • Profile picture of the author biz2mob
        Originally Posted by iain1066 View Post

        The biggest thing to remember in sales is that your audience is only interested in WIIFM (what's in it for me). You may need to set an appointment with the the controller, accounting manager, or accounts payable manager, but they are not going to see any of the money saved. For them it's just extra work.

        Perhaps you should aim higher and speak to somebody more motivated to save the company money who will just tell the relevant manager "you need to meet with these guys".
        Yeah, we're targeting manufacturing companies from 5-10 mil in revenue and 25-100 mill in revenue in two lead segments, and at the smaller companies the owner is pretty much all of the above and the bigger ones it's really hard to get the CEO etc on the line
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        • Profile picture of the author SirThomas
          Originally Posted by biz2mob View Post

          Yeah, we're targeting manufacturing companies from 5-10 mil in revenue and 25-100 mill in revenue in two lead segments, and at the smaller companies the owner is pretty much all of the above and the bigger ones it's really hard to get the CEO etc on the line
          Most of the problems that manufacturing companies have is how to handle the "domestic production activities deduction" and some industry-specific incentives on their tax returns. That's probably where your firm comes in and "finds" the unused deductions.

          The problem is that your potential clients will have to amend their returns and most of them don't want to do it, in fear of getting audited by the IRS. Also, their CPAs or in-house accounting departments don't like to be proven to be in-effective :-)

          You might want to find some industry material "confirming" your firm's mission (articles talking about the problem) and position yourself as leaders "assisting" accounting departments in "recovering what's legally theirs". The language you use is crucial in situations like this. Remember, you're asking them to admit they have a problem. You need look like hiring you is "their idea".

          Some of the laws dealing with deductions or credits are very hard to understand and it's hard to find correct information. Even experienced CPAs have problems with fully understanding them.

          Tell them that deductions, credits, incentives for manufacturing companies etc is ALL YOU DO and they can use your company as a "go-to" resource when it comes to the newest laws and how they affect their type of business. You have a team that does nothing else but study every tax law how to apply them for the biggest benefits that legally allowed. They will never have to worry about "missing" anything, from now on.

          I hope this helps.

          Thomas
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          • Profile picture of the author Ken Hoffman
            Originally Posted by SirThomas View Post

            The problem is that your potential clients will have to amend their returns and most of them don't want to do it, in fear of getting audited by the IRS. Thomas
            This is the #1 issue. Fear. But not just of getting audited. Fear that you are going to come in and screw up their books.

            What's at the root of this fear?

            Lack of credibility.

            You need to find a way to bolster your credibility right away.

            I don't know that cold calling is the most effective way to do that. If you are gonna go that route then, you need to have a less threatening offer to ease into building a relationship with them. Like a special report on how that explains the details, without telling them how to fix it themselves.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    So they are brushing you off. You come in as an unknown to them, and they are already experts (certified professionals) in their field. So are they going to listen to you?

    You're going to have to sound like one of them.

    "Say, have you ever been worried that you're overpaying tax on your total payables, and that you're going to discover you missed something big later?"

    "Are you ever under pressure to produce savings for the department?"

    "If someone could show you how to save ___% (whatever the average your company recovers is) of the taxes you pay on your accounts payable, would that be worth talking about for a few minutes?"

    Telling them that you save blah blah blah is just going to bounce off. They 'already do that' and have it under control. You have to engage at another level.
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    • Profile picture of the author biz2mob
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      So they are brushing you off. You come in as an unknown to them, and they are already experts (certified professionals) in their field. So are they going to listen to you?

      You're going to have to sound like one of them.

      "Say, have you ever been worried that you're overpaying tax on your total payables, and that you're going to discover you missed something big later?"

      "Are you ever under pressure to produce savings for the department?"

      "If someone could show you how to save ___% (whatever the average your company recovers is) of the taxes you pay on your accounts payable, would that be worth talking about for a few minutes?"

      Telling them that you save blah blah blah is just going to bounce off. They 'already do that' and have it under control. You have to engage at another level.
      Thanks Kannigan, you're really right on on this.
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  • Profile picture of the author digichik
    Aim higher, don't be afraid to contact the CFO, they are decision makers. If they want to hand you off to the controller, accounting manager, or accounts payable manager, it will make it easier for you to get an appointment with them. Just say Mr Smith the CFO asked me to give you a call to schedule an appointment for.... Since you already talked with the CFO most of the underlings will set appointments immediately, because Mr. Smith told you to call them.

    I have found, Usually the higher the rank(CEO, CFO, COO), the easier it is to have a conversation with them. Unlike talking with the middle managers who are sometimes full of themselves and don't have major decision making responsibilities.
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  • Profile picture of the author TyBrown
    I don't have advice for how to get the appointment. I do think, however, that you are being grossly underpaid. If you are talking with CFOs, companies with $5 million + in revenue, etc. and the company's fees are 5 and 6 figures I think it's nuts that you are brokering that relationship for $75.
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    • Profile picture of the author SirThomas
      Originally Posted by TyBrown View Post

      I don't have advice for how to get the appointment. I do think, however, that you are being grossly underpaid. If you are talking with CFOs, companies with $5 million + in revenue, etc. and the company's fees are 5 and 6 figures I think it's nuts that you are brokering that relationship for $75.
      I was wondering that too!

      $75 seems like nothing for industrial appointment setting ($750?). Perhaps, he also gets paid on the back end, when the sale is made?
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